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A good beginner embroidery machine?  

post #1 of 21
8/4/05 at 9:23am
Thread Starter 
That's not too expensive? Is there such a thing :LOL ?

TIA!!
post #2 of 21
8/5/05 at 2:52am
So far as I have found, nope.
post #3 of 21
8/5/05 at 8:31am
Thread Starter 
Thanks, that's what I thought!
post #4 of 21
8/6/05 at 2:14pm
I am not sure how expensive is expensive for you but the lowest good one I have seen is the Simplicity PE1 or PE2 (they also have Brother counterparts which is the same machine under a different name). You can find them online for about $399. They are usually packaged with Disney (more $$) or other embroidery designs. I ended up spending a fair amount in $$ to get accesories to download designs of the internet and use them on my machine which pushes up the cost. If you are OK with the deigns they come with then you don't really have to worry about that.
post #5 of 21
8/6/05 at 5:34pm
I started with a brother PE-150 that I bought used on eBay for $300. to that I added the cost of the ultimate box for downloading at $150 including shipping with a card for downloading. I used regular coats and clark sewing thread (which means I had to clean out my lint from the bobbin case FREQUENTLY) and tear away stabilizer on the bolt from Joann's. I did very well with that for quite a white, about 6 months, then bought some good robison anton thread and LOOOOVE using better thread. a few prewound bobbins- "nebs" are almost indespensible, too, as they run soo much smoother than the ones you wind yourself. and proper bobbin tension can fix SOO many problems and they last a good 3 times longer than one you wind on the machine yourself. a program like embird is also a great thing to have. Good for combining designs and changing things around, etc. I think it's about $60 but you can get a fully functioning free trial for 30 days. WHich is a good amount of time to raise the money to pay for it

SO, inexpensive? no... but you don't NEED embird and you don't NEED good thread (though honestly, you will certainly want it and will get MUCH better results with it) and you don't NEED prewound bobbins or expensive fancy stabilizer.

But if you want to do designs other than the one that come with the machine, you have to have the ultimate box (holds more designs than the alternatives) and the machine-a $450 investment, pretty much.

here is a site on ebay (not affiliated, just did a random search) http://cgi.ebay.com/Brother-PE-170-D...QQcmdZViewItem for a machine for $319...

they aren't cheap but they sure are worth it!
Good luck on your search/decision.

I have the PC-6500, which is the lowest on the totem pole of 5x7 embroidery area machines. Its also a sewing machine. I love it.. but I still lust after the big machines that take floppy disks instead of the ultimate cards... someday
post #6 of 21
8/9/05 at 12:50pm
I've recently entered the machine embroidery world with a BabyLock Ellure. It was $950 because I purchased a floor model... apparently they normally go for $999. As far as I could tell this is about as cheap as they get unless you are looking at off brands, embroidery-only, or used machines.

I heard some relatively negative things about some of the off brands and cheap machines, and I wanted something that will last a lifetime and will also be an excellent sewing machine. My research led me to the Ellure, as it had all the features I knew I wanted, has gotten lots and lots of good reviews, is simple to opporate, and was recommended to me over and over again as a great beginner embroidery machine.

Of course, I've only had it for like a week... so I really have yet to see for myself how good it is.
post #7 of 21
8/28/05 at 7:22am

Serger for sale

I have a Babylock BL4-838D that is about 5-years old and has very little wear. I'd love to sell it, for $150. It is in perfect condition (I just changed interests from crafts to running). Shipping based on actual cost from 32963 for 16 pounds.
post #8 of 21
8/29/05 at 2:10pm
I've got an Ellure as well. I bought it for $900 used with a bunch of software last winter.

My only real gripe is that it does not do free motion quilting in the traditional way due to the type of tension settings it uses. If that is important to you, I wouldn't get it. I'll probably just buy another machine in a year or so to do that. Otherwise, I really like it.
post #9 of 21
9/3/05 at 1:03am
The less expensive machines that I've seen about are the Singer Futura models which are in the $350-400 range new. Then there is Singer's Izek which can be controlled by a Nintendo GameBoy! It seems like a bit of a gimmick but if you're a gamer girl who digs embroidery, then it's a cool tool for under $400.

Try Google's "Froogle" feature or eBay and see what some of the best prices are on various models.
post #10 of 21
9/6/05 at 5:05pm
i'm getting the viking scandinivia 300. it does embrodiery and sewing. the regular price is somewhere around $1000 but i'm getting the floor model and trading in my old machine so i'll be getting it around $850. it's a relatively new model so there aren't many reviews out on it but viking is a great brand so i'm pretty confident that it'll be a good machine.
post #11 of 21
9/7/05 at 5:55pm
I don't know if there is a real good inexpensive machine. I've got a brother 180-d and I love it!
post #12 of 21
9/9/05 at 8:59am
Thread Starter 
Could you embroider a prefold with the Singer Futura? Are any of these available in stores? Which ones & where?

Thank you!
post #13 of 21
9/18/05 at 1:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by teddybearmom
Could you embroider a prefold with the Singer Futura? Are any of these available in stores? Which ones & where?

Thank you!
I'm curious too!
post #14 of 21
9/20/05 at 12:01pm
I am borrowing a Disney Brother that was bought at Wal-Mart for $400. She has the stuff to download from the web and I don't know if it came with it but it's a self threader and I think it does a nice job. Here are the embroideries I've done with it so far: http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL934.../112425922.jpg
http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL934.../112039753.jpg
http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL934.../112039752.jpg
http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL934.../112039599.jpg
http://pic18.picturetrail.com/VOL934.../112039597.jpg

And I have 4 more that I haven't uploaded yet because I haven't quite finished the diapers.

I think it's pretty easy to use and user friendly. It lets me enlarge the patterns and move the patterns around within the frame. Oh and I use a variety of threads.
post #15 of 21
9/20/05 at 12:15pm
Check your Local sewing machine independent retailer. You can get a good used machine for a decent price. Now I bought a Pfaff 2140, which upgrades to a 2144 and hopefully to the 2170. All chip upgrades. It was worth the investment for me, as I will more then likely NEVER buy another machine. A link to give you an idea http://direct.where2getit.com/pfaff/
post #16 of 21
9/20/05 at 3:15pm
Thread Starter 
Jenn- those are great designs! I would also like to embroider PUL covers with one. Hopefully I can get a machine soon!

Thanks for the replies!
post #17 of 21
9/29/05 at 5:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by JennInSeattle
I am borrowing a Disney Brother that was bought at Wal-Mart for $400.
Is that the Brother Disney SE-270D? I was thinking about trying it out, but I'm reluctant to drop the money on it without better reviews than I've been able to find online. Are you pretty happy with it? Is it easy to figure out ( I know basic sewing machines, but I've never touched a serger or embroidery machine)?
post #18 of 21
9/29/05 at 7:33pm
I *just* decided to buy the Brother pc6500 after days of searching and it runs for about 1k.
I'm super duper excited. I'm going to get it tomorrow. I can't wait!
post #19 of 21
9/30/05 at 1:25am
have fun with your new machine! i've recently been trying out the embroidery part of my machine and i love it! still not sure if it's worth all the money though. it sure does add up! $900+ for the machine, $170 for the ulitmate box, $230 for virtual pc since i have a mac and therefore can't use the ultimate box :insert eye-rolly guy here:, $100+ on embroidery designs. then there's the stablizers and threads!

but it's fun!
post #20 of 21
9/30/05 at 6:32pm
Change of plans for me....
I ended up with the Brother Innov-is embroidery machine!!!!! It was a teensy bit more expensive but you're right... it adds up. I HAD to get the ultimate box and OMgosh, the disigns I have seen to buy are adorable. I imagine the designs will end up more expensive than the machine!
I am so excited... we picked it up this morning and I have been looking through the 178 page manual. The dealer we bought it at has free classes, but they're not for a few weeks. I am GOING to figure it out before then!
I am excited and now I need to figure out how to embroider on the PUL or fleece butt of a diaper!
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